Bridgeton pioneer., 1887-10-06


to have had 81, 900 worth of oysters on
it, and had been totally denuded of
oysters by this boat and others against
which judgments had been secured at
a former term of Court. After the
close of the opening of the case, Judge
Reed announced that the application
of Samuel Camp to keep an inn and
tavern in the township of CONNER
cial had been granted, also that all the
papers handed up yesterday for roads,
change of name of paper, sc. had been
passed upon.
Capt John Henderson was the first
witness called in the case of Willets, VS..
Grace, now being tried. He testified
to having procured the shells with his
boat, the MARY HI. Ladow," in July,
1884, at Annapolis, Md, for Captains
Willets and Loper, which he unloaded
on the grounds they had staked out.
They paid him something over $1OO for
the shells. He detailed also the time
he was down with fishing party and
discovered the "Annie r. Ludlam"
stealing oysters from the bed in ques-
ton. She had a full deck load of
oysters.
Cross examination-Put $500 bushels
of shells in the bed. On the day he
sailed down fishing he saw eight boats
gathering oysters. They all left but
one, which was anchored; she was
longing. The "Annie Ludlam'' was
loaded ;'the others were partly loaded.
1t was between 1 and 3 o'clock.
s. Irwin Middleton was next called
to the witness stand. Said he lived at
Port Norris; lived there in May, 1886;
went down the bay fishing with Capt.
John Henderson and party, fishing
for drum fish, at Fishing Greek; about
the middle of May; remembered sailing
up from Fishing Creek towards the
oyster grounds spoken of. AS they
came they tried to make it appear
that they were coming up to anchor.
Capt. Loper who was on board, said
the boats seen at distance were
oystering on his grounds and he would
go below, as, if the party getting
oysters saw him they would get away.
When they sailed upon the grounds
Capt. Loper appeared and all the boats
fled. ''A''- 7I'i
Col. J. Howard Willets was next
sworn. Lived at Port Elizabeth, but
was born and lived until he was twelve
years old in sight of the grounds upon
which these oysters were planted. In
1884. he and Captain John Loper en-
gagged Captain John Henderson to
procure oyster shells for them, and
plant on this ground, which they had
selected. Showed a map, taken out
of the geological survey of the State,
by which he had located the bed. Ex-
planned the location, marks, ranges,
etc. of the grounds.
The growing of oysters from shells
was, at that time, a new experience;
somewhat of an untried theory, and
Col. Willets, the witness, had more
frequent and careful observations on
this bed, of their growth and condition
at intervals. Careful observations and
accurate ranges had been made as to
the location of the ground, SO that
any one could find them. A number
of shells caught in the beds were shown
and offered in evidence. They were
worked as exhibits and showed the
time of their being planted and when
they were taken up, thus showing
their comparative growth. The Col.
said the extent Of the grounds was
about 29Ox262 yards.
Capt. VIM. B. Fowler was called but
did not appear and Thomas Shropshire
was called; he testified to having
helped to stake out the sgrounds.!and
tried the oysters, which he found to
be as good quality as he had ever saw.
David Shellhorn, Jacob Mengel,
Daniel Sharp and Charles Welden
were also called as witnesses.
Charles Welden, of Goshen, Cape
May Co., said he was employed as
hand on the annie r. Ludlam' in
May, 1886. She was planting oysters
below Absalom's Landing in the Cove;
caught the oysters in the bay which
they planted Worked there from the
first of April till the first of May.
Capt. Grace was captain of the "Lud-
lam" The other owners were Amos
Douglass and Holmes Hand. Remem-
ber quitting work up the bay and
went to work elsewhere catching
oysters Knew the MARY H. Ladow."
She came on the grounds where he
was at work.
This witness was rather dangerous
one for the plaintiff who was willing to
dispense with his further service, but
Judge Pancoast thought he could not
well be dispensed with and ordered
his retention for further use. Capt.
Loper, late special officer, and one of